Underneath the Deck
by evelinaonline
Summary: Jay Walker is merely an engineer in the Destiny's Bounty, yet his best friend is somehow the admiral of Ninjago's fleet. After a storm hits their ships, him and Nya spend some time alone together. [Jaya, Jay x Nya, Pirate AU]


**Back at it again with some Jaya, for Ninjago Valentine's Week 2019! If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's a challenge I am hosting on tumblr for Valentine's Day. Here are the prompts!**

Day One (Friday 8/2) - First Ninjago Ship  
Day Two (Saturday 9/2) - Crack Ship / Rare Ship  
Day Three (Sunday 10/2) - AU Ship  
Day Four (Monday 11/2) - Never Thought I'd Ship  
Day Five (Tuesday 12/2) - OC Ship  
Day Six (Wednesday 13/2) - Favorite Canon Ship  
Day Seven (Thursday 14/2) - Favorite Non-Canon Ship

**Anyway, this idea was actually given to me by my friend NightlyBirdie, so kudos to her! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Not once his life did Jay imagine he'd befriend the admiral of Ninjago's fleet.

Nya was everything Ninjago needed; a brilliant, strong-willed woman, who wouldn't stop at the worst of storms.

And Jay? Jay Walker was merely an engineer. He would never understand why Captain Lloyd wanted him on the Destiny's Bounty - the lead ship of Ninjago's fleet.

But him and Nya were friends.

And Jay cursed himself in the name of the Endless Sea for wanting to be more than that.

Speaking of the Endless Sea, they were currently anchored in the middle of it. There had been a storm the previous night, and the crew had stayed up throughout all of it, fighting to keep the ships together.

As if the sea water crashing on their prow wasn't enough, Starteeth had been involved. The Destiny's Bounty was made of the finest materials, yet it was no match for the Starteeth's teeth.

They lost two ships that night.

Thankfully the Destiny's Bounty survived the storm, but the entire ship had been flooded. The whole crew was working together to empty it, let alone patch up the injured people. According to Zane, their second mate, there was a lighthouse they could stop at in sight, but they weren't getting anywhere with their ships flooded.

And that's how Jay got stuck with Nya at the stores of the ship, emptying the water into the ocean.

Lot of damage had been caused to the ship, but the biggest one had to be at the stores. There was a huge hole, and they lost lots of supplies in the storm. Thankfully they had enough to make it to the lighthouse, and they could only hope they'd find more there.

"Any news from the Captain?" Jay asked, breaking the silence.

The admiral shook her head, filling up another bucket with water. "He's still with his uncle. Apperantly he got hurt pretty bad."

"Oh."

The engineer bit his lip, emptying his bucket. He sighed deeply, looking at the horizon. There was no sign of land, but Jay knew it was only a matter of time before they ran into something, be it friendly or not. They weren't exactly the only ones trying to reach the Dark Island to find the Temple of Light.

And every pirate knew that the Dark Island meant no good.

"You alright there?"

The sound of Nya's voice caught Jay off guard, but he managed to keep himself from splashing into the water.

"Can I ask you something?" Jay said. "You might not wanna hear it."

"What is it?"

For a moment, Jay froze. Nya's uniform was soaking wet, hat included. Her sleeves had been ripped, her boots were torn, and even her sword wasn't at a good shape. She had dark circles under her eyes, which didn't surprise Jay, as she had stayed up all night fighting off the Starteeth. Her black hair looked even darker from the water, and the cuts on her cheeks didn't flatter her either.

One could say that she looked terrible, but to Jay, even like this, she was the most beautiful person that had ever existed.

That was why he had to do this.

"Why aren't you up there?" he asked.

Nya tilted her head to the right. "What do you mean?"

"It's just… There's chaos on the deck, Lloyd is clearly not in a state to give out orders, and everyone's waiting for someone to tell them what to do. You're the admiral of the entire fleet, so shouldn't you be the one to-"

"Have you considered that I'm not in a state to lead right now either?" Nya interrupted him.

Jay couldn't remember the last time he had been mad at her.

"Well, tough luck then! You think _I'm_ in the mood for emptying buckets all day? I'm an engineer, my place is making sure the capstan doesn't get stuck again. But I'm needed _here_, so that's where I am!"

"I lost two ships today!" Nya yelled, silencing Jay. "Kai was on one of those ships, because I told him to watch over it! Because of me, he almost didn't wake up to see the light of day this morning! You think it's so easy being admiral? You lead them!"

Jay felt like a jerk.

He should have never brought the topic up. Now Nya was mad at everything, mad at _him_, and he was the only one to blame for it. It was all fine, until he went ahead and ruined it-

"And maybe…" Nya spoke up again, snapping Jay out of his thoughts. "Maybe I like being down here with you."

"With me?" Jay asked, almost mumbling. "But I'm just-"

"You're not just an engineer, stop saying that!" Nya snapped again. "You're so much more than that. You're strong, brave, you're my closest friend! You're _Jay_."

"What are you-"

"I'm saying _I love you_, you jerk!"

Jay had lost the ability to think. He was sure that whatever that was, it wasn't real, and that his mind must had been playing tricks on him. Nya was supposed to hate him, so why the heck had she just-

"I'm sorry," Nya said, putting a hand on her temple. "I shouldn't have said that now, it wasn't a good time-"

"Stop."

Jay watched as Nya's gaze fell upon his once again, and their eyes locked. She was right there next to him, her hand just barely stroking his, and their bodies only inches apart.

"Just stop for a second," Jay said, taking hold of both her hands. "I love you."

Jay never thought it was possible for his heart to beat that fast.

"A… Are we supposed to kiss now, because I have no idea how to do this," Nya mumbled.

Jay chuckled nervously, not really sure how to respond. "Do… Do you wanna save it for a more appropriate time?"

Nya nodded, smiling at him. "Maybe a time when the crew won't be needing me on the deck."

Jay couldn't help but grin. "So I was right."

"Shut up, engineering boy," Nya teased, heading for the stairs.

Jay rolled his eyes, but in truth, there wasn't a time he had ever been happier.


End file.
